Infernal Retribution
by GAvillain
Summary: After Maleficent's downfall, the sorceress is left bodiless and thirsty for revenge, and there is one kindred spirit who might be willing to help. *DISCONTINUED* Sorry.
1. Return of the Devils

Chernabog sat upon his immense seat of skulls in his firey throne room down in Hell. It had been a fairly normal day for him: corrupting souls, striking sinister deals, causing natural diasters, and overall, just spreading the shadows of evil across the world. However, despite the routine day, this evil incarnate was physically exhausted to the point of near collapse, a feeling virtually unknown to the demon king.

But why had he fealt this exhaustion? Was he growing too old to continue his Hellish reign? Was Belobog using this to attack and put an end to him? Before he had time to ponder these questions, the answer stormed in through the door. Like a gust of wind, Maleficent, his daughter, appeared.

Maleficent was the result of an affair Chernabog had with a particularly nasty witch. Despite being half-demon and half-witch, Maleficent indentified herself as a fairy. She had taken up this false indentification as a plan to seduce Oberon, the king of the fairies, and, while the plan fell to pieces, her reputation as a powerful _fairy_ lived on.

It wasn't hard for Chernabog to guess what had happened. The pungent stench of holy light practically radiated from her. The scowl on her face filled in the other details.

"Bit off more than you could chew, huh?" Chernabog roared, half laughing.

Maleficent was not the least bit amused.

"I thought you had hidden the Sword of Truth where no man would ever find it," Maleficent spat.

"I did," Chernabog stated, "But apparently I didn't hide it where no _fairy_ would ever find it."

Chernabog roared with laughter. Maleficent continued to scowl.

"There, you've had a good laugh at my expense. Now restore my anchor to the human world," Maleficent demanded.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that I can't," Chernabog said, coming to a decrescendo in his laugh.

"What?" Maleficent asked, shocked.

"You were slain by a holy weapon," Chernabog explained, "My powers have no hold over it's effects."

Maleficent stood there with her mouth hanging open, a firey rage combined with pure horror in her eyes. The sorceress then screamed and disappeared in a flurry of green fire. She reappeared in the grand hall of King Steffan's castle. The castle was alive and jubilant again which meant that Flora's spell had been undone, which in turn meant that Maleficent's own spell had been broken. On top of this, no one seemed to notice her.

To the sound of trumpets and jubilant music playing, Aurora and Phillip walked down the stairs, hand-in-hand. Maleficent could hardly curb her anger. She darted across the room towards the hated prince and began to viciously claw at him. However, when she went to claw him, Maleficent's hand passed right through his head as if it were thin air.

"No. No! NO!" Maleficent screamed. However, no one heard her.

* * *

><p>Hades had been floating around in the River Styx for what felt like an eternity. Now he knew what death was like: eternal <strong>boredom<strong>! All the former lord of the dead had left was his hatred for the Olympians, especially his pompous brother, Zeus, and that nephew who knocked him into this well of souls, "Jerkules".

The current of the River Styx was incredibly powerful. No soul could swim out of it. Of course, no soul had arms or legs to swim with. The only known being to have swam the River Styx and survived was Hercules himself. With his godlike strength and immense will power, Hercules had been able to conquer the Styx.

Hades himself was thinking back to that day. If his halfling nephew had been able to been able to beat the Styx, then surely a god such as himself could do it. Hades reached deep inside, gathered all of his anger and hatred and, channeling that anger into a few powerful strokes, pulled himself out of the current and onto the banks of the Styx.

Finally he was free! But how long had it been? Hades had no way of measuring or even feeling time pass while in the Styx. He had to find a date. What's more, he had to find out what's become of the Underworld in his abscence.

Hades shook off the water from his body, reignited his flaming hair, and in a puff of smoke, teleported to the bridge that led to his skull-shaped palace. As he appeared, a horse drawn carriage was riding down the bridge. Hades flagged down the carriage and looked at the driver. There was no mistake about it. This carriage driver was indeed Charon, the ferryman of the Styx from back when Hades was in power.

"Charon, babe. Long time, no see." Hades stated.

Charon's empty eyesockets widened in disbelief.

"L-lord Hades? Is that really you?" Charon asked, completely in disbelief.

"Who else?" Hades asked, "Ha! So how long have I been gone?"

"My goodness, it's been well over a thousand years, my lord," Charon stated, "It's now 1325 A.D."

"Uh-huh," Hades responded, not entirely sure what Charon was talking about, "And what has become of my Underworld?"

"You're not gonna like that answer, Lord Hades," Charon said, almost afraid.

"What do you mean?" Hades asked, puzzled.

Charon didn't say another word, he couldn't! Charon took out a small piece of parchment, scribbled something down on it, and handed Hades the paper. His hand was quivering. Hades took the paper and read it.

"WHAT?" Hades shouted, his flaming hair turning bright yellow and flaring up.

How could Zeus have done this to him? Why did he do this? Sure Zeus was a pig headed idiot but why would he have sunken that low? That fool had put Hades's second most hated rival, Hecate, in charge of his Underworld.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I re-uploaded this chapter because I found a slight error in the date that Charon told Hades. In the original, Charon told Hades that it was 975 but Sleeping Beauty, according to King Humbert in the film, takes place in the 14th century (or the 1300's). Therefore, since this takes place the same day Maleficent dies, it would be the same year too (duh XD). A minor nitpick, perhaps, but one that bugged me, never-the-less.<strong>


	2. The Shadows Lengthen

"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO ME?"

Hades and Maleficent were both furious about the recent events. Maleficent was trapped in limbo and was unable to re-enter the human world, while Hades's throne had been usurped by that wretched witch, Hecate. Both villains were mere shadows of their former selves. They were the very images of people who had lost everything.

Hecate was a powerful witch and she knew it as well as Hades did. Being nearly a millennium out of practice, Hades wouldn't stand much of a chance against the usurper. He needed someone powerful enough to take down Hecate.

Chernabog couldn't revive her. Due to her being slain by a holy weapon, Maleficent's death could not be undone by a Hellish being. What Maleficent needed was a deity with resurrection powers. A pagan deity would do just fine. But which one would be willing to make a deal?

* * *

><p>"How cute," Ursula said to herself. She had been watching these two villains on her crystal ball, "They both need one another but don't even know it."<p>

The sea witch chuckled and called upon her two moray eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, to do a little task for her.

"Having two such powerful beings in my debt could be a valuable commodity. Wouldn't it, my poopsies?"

Flotsam and Jetsam nodded.

"Then we should play a little game of match maker to set these two up."

Ursula began to cackle gleefully at the scheme developing in her mind.

* * *

><p>Hades was sitting under an olive tree in the outskirts of Athens. The former Lord of the Dead was disguised as a human so that no wandering Greek would be alarmed by his presence. He still looked like Hades, except instead of his typical gray skin, he sported a more natural Caucasian skin tone and instead of flaming blue hair, he had long jet black hair.<p>

He was contemplating what to do about Hecate. But who to turn to? Hades was so immersed in thought that he did not notice a black cat sitting right next to him watching his every move. The cat, growing ever impatient for the man to notice him, meowed lightly to draw the god's attention to him. Hades jumped slightly in startlement.

"Don't be scared," the cat whispered, "I'm here to help you."

"Great," Hades said rolling his eyes, "I need help and who answers that call? A talking kitty!"

"My boss, Madame Ursula, would like to help you," the Cat added.

"Ursula?" Hades began to grin, "She must be a pretty powerful sorceress, huh?"

The cat nodded. "Oh yes, Madame Ursula cannot be surpassed."

"Excellent!" Hades shouted jumping to his feet. He rubbed his face and regained his normal hair and skin consistency,"Lead the way, kitten!"

* * *

><p>Maleficent was standing on the castle bridge where she had done battle with Prince Phillip last night. She was just staring at the castle, fuming with anger. She HAD to get her revenge. Maleficent then felt the odd sensation of something rubbing against her legs. She looked down to see a black cat.<p>

Maleficent didn't care for cats. As far as she was concerned, they were filthy little mongrels with no value to society whatsoever. However, for some odd reason this cat was able to physically feel and acknowledge Maleficent despite the fact that she was trapped in Limbo.

"How is this possible?" Maleficent thought out loud.

The cat spoke up. "Madame Ursula can make anything possible. She can even help you get out of limbo."

Maleficent stared at the cat, trying to decide whether or not listening to a talking cat was one's best option.

"Take me to see this 'Madame Ursula'."

* * *

><p>Hades and the mysterious black cat arrived on an island off the coast of Denmark. The island seemed to be made entirely out of coral. It was a small island and there wasn't a plant to be found on it. The only thing on this island was a wooden shack that looked something like a sculpture of a shark.<p>

"This way," the cat hissed.

Hades followed the cat through the "mouth" of the shark. He noticed a sign above the entrance that said "Cabana Cephalopoda: Charms, Potions, and Snake Oils." Hades smirked. If this woman was powerful enough to help him then he might just be willing to believe that the sign wasn't false advertising. He severely doubted that this Ursula character was anything more than a charlatan. However, a talking cat in her employ made her a bit more convincing.

The former Lord of the Dead entered into the "belly" of the shark. The entire room was lined with jars filled with strange creatures and colorful juices. In the center of the room was a large coral-like cauldron that was bubbling with some luminescent liquid. And directly behind the cauldron sat a morbidly obese woman wearing a skin tight black cocktail dress. She had spikey white hair and she appeared to have purple, although Hades assumed that this was just because of the light coming from the cauldron.

The large woman hopped out of her chair and Hades noticed that the woman had no legs at all, but, instead, she had six long tentacles. Seeing this shot down Hades's doubts about the sincerity of Ursula's witchcraft. He walked up to the sea-witch.

"Ursula, babe," Hades said putting his arm around her, "I've heard so much about you. Anyways, I have this problem with..."

"I know, Hades," Ursula interrupted, "Your solution is on its way with Jetsam."

Hades had no idea what a Jetsam was , but if it could help him get rid of Hecate, he would worship the ground it walked on.

Hades heard something walk into the room. He turned around to see a cat identical to the one who had brought him here. This cat had with him a woman. This woman was tall and wore a flowing black cloak with a horned headdress. This woman had emerald green skin on a face that was surprisingly beautiful.

Ursula smiled. "Hades, meet Maleficent. Maleficent, meet Hades."


	3. Poor Unfortunate Souls

"Ursie, babe, care to explain what's going on?" Hades asked Ursula.

"Of course," Ursula said, waving her hands, "Come in, both of you and have a seat."

Hades and Maleficent sat down on opposite ends of a couch that looked like it was made of sea-sponge. Ursula herself hopped onto the chair behind the cauldron.

"Now then," Ursula started, "You're both here because you've lost your power and you need help getting it back. Correct?"

Hades and Maleficent both nodded.

"Well, I'm afraid that I cannot help you," Ursula replied with a chuckled.

Hades and Maleficent both leaped off the couch at once furiously.

"Keep your scales on, dears," Ursula said, motioning for them to sit back down. They did so. "Now, as I was saying, I cannot help either of you. HOWEVER, you both can help one another. Hades, Maleficent's anchor to the mortal world was destroyed by a holy weapon and she needs someone with resurrection powers that isn't limited to the holy spectrum to revive her. Maleficent, Hades here needs a sorceress who is powerful enough to take on Hecate, the goddess of magic, to reclaim his throne. Don't ya see? You both need one another!"

"Wait a minute!" Hades said standing up, "How do I know that this witch will do the job for me after I revive her."

Maleficent also stood up, "And how do I know that this deity won't withdraw his powers after I dispose of his usurper?"

"That's where I come in, my darlings," Ursula said sliding over to her cauldron.

She spat is the bubbling blue liquid and it turned a bright shade of yellow. Ursula reached into the pot and pulled out a golden glowing scroll.

"This is your guarantee," Ursula said triumphantly,"The contract is legal, binding, and completely unbreakable, even to you two. However, it comes with a price. Magical contracts don't grow on trees, you know. I'm not asking much, just a small favor in return."

"We've already met one another," Maleficent sneered, "What's to stop us from walking right out, helping one another, and cutting you right out of the deal for free."

"Go right ahead," Ursula retorted, "I won't stop you. Of course, can either of you really be trusted?"

Hades and Maleficent looked at one another and hung their heads in defeat.

"I didn't think so," Ursula smirked, "Sign on the dotted line and in exchange, I get a favor to hold onto until I need it. Also, if either of you betray the other, your powers are forfeited to the other."

Hades and Maleficent each took the pin and signed Ursula's contract.

"Excellent!" Ursula shouted as the contract disappeared, "Now off with you. Go make each other's dreams a reality!"

Hades and Maleficent disappeared and reappeared on the bridge to Hades's former palace in the Underworld.

"Alright, Hades," Maleficent said sneering, "Revive me so that I can battle this Hecate character."

"Okay, babe," Hades said waving his arms, "You're back with a VENGEANCE!"

Hades's hands began to glow purple as did Maleficent. She could feel the power rushing back into her.

"Yes!" Maleficent shouted, "I'm back!"


	4. Coup d'état

Hecate sat upon her throne, twirling her hair around. It was a slow death day in the Underworld and these days were always boring. Her two faithful Empusas, winged wolves that served as her familiars, were sleeping on the floor of the throne room. Both were equally bored.

Suddenly, the room began to shake. Hecate sat upright in her throne and the two Empusas woke from their nap. Hecate jumped up from her seat and looked out of the window to see what was the matter. A stream of flame poured down in front of the window, causing Hecate to jump back. She stuck her head out the window again and looked up to see a massive black dragon clinging to outside of the skull shaped palace.

Hecate cursed and barely was able to pull herself back inside before another stream of fire poured out of the dragon's mouth. Hecate gestured for the Empusas to follow her and they flew out onto the bridge leading away from the palace. The dragon spotted them and released another stream of flame to create a wall of fire directly in front of them.

Hecate turned back to see the dragon fade away and a glowing orb of green light appear in its place. The orb flew over to the bridge and stopped in between Hecate and the place. The orb took the form of Maleficent.

"Who on earth are you?" Hecate asked, clearly angry.

Maleficent gracefully waved her arm. "Why, I am Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil!"

"And what do you think you are doing?" Hecate spat furiously.

Maleficent chuckled lightly and replied, "I am here to reclaim the Underworld for Hades."

Hecate shook her head in disbelief and anger and fired a bolt of magic at Maleficent. Maleficent merely lifted her staff which absorbed the bolt like a lightning rod. Hecate felt the power draining from her as the staff seemed to suck up all of her magical powers.

The Empusas flew down and tried to dive-bomb Maleficent but she tapped her staff on the ground and gravity pulled down the flying wolves to the bridge. At the same time, the hovering Hecate fell to the bridge as well. Maleficent then tapped her staff on the bridge again and cracks began to develop.

Maleficent smirked. "This is where I get off."

Maleficent then disappeared in a flurry of flames. The bridge began to crumble and break apart. Hecate tried desperately to run back into the throne room and off the bridge, however, she was unable to run fast enough and the bridge completely collapsed. Hecate and the Empusas fell like stones into the River Styx and were never seen again.

Maleficent rematerialized back in Hades's throne room.

"Hades, you can come out now," she called.

Hades reappeared in his former throne room.

"Hecate is dead?" Hades asked hopefully.

"As a door nail," Maleficent replied with a smirk.

"YES!" Hades shouted in excitement. He pulled Maleficent to him and planted a big fat kiss on her lips. It was only seconds later that he realized what he had done.

"Sorry," Hades said backing up, "Sorry. Don't know where that had come from."

Maleficent seemed equally stunned but she quickly reoriented herself.

She tried to play the whole thing off as a joke, "Well it could have been worse. We could have disappeared in a flurry of flames and made love."

Hades chuckled at that, more to ease the moment than because he got the joke.

"Well anyways," Hades said, trying to change the subject, "Thanks for all your help. You were a real life saver!"

"You too," Maleficent said, "Um... I should go."

"Okay," Hades replied, "Hope I see ya around soon."

"You will," Maleficent said smirking.

Hades sighed and plopped down in his old throne. It had been so long since he sat in it that he forgot how uncomfortable it was. Hades made a mental note to purchase and new throne and went off to bed. He finally had his kingdom back! But, for some reason, it just wasn't enough to satisfy him anymore.


	5. Taste of Vengeance

Maleficent returned to the Forbidden Mountains in a flurry of flames. She had been gone for less than a week and already her goons had trashed the place. She was willing to bet than most of them had either deserted the castle or were living off her supply of food and wine. Maleficent walked into her bedroom to find that around ten goons were asleep in her room.

Maleficent tapped her staff on the ground and each of the goons was shocked by violet colored lightning. The goons awoke with a jolt and were shocked to see Maleficent alive and well and standing before them. With looks of terror evident of their faces the goons began to tidy up the room.

"And when you're done in here, I expect the rest of the castle to be spotless as well," Maleficent scowled as she walked out onto her balcony.

She noticed the petrified raven sitting on the balcony, frozen in time. Maleficent tapped the stone raven with her staff and the bird began to surge with violet lightning. Cracks developed on it, and the rocky shell that coated the raven broke off, and Diablo sat on the balcony, flesh and bone once more. He went to squawk to alert Maleficent of the prince's escape but Maleficent waved her hand to silence the bird.

"I know, my pet," Maleficent said, "The prince has already made his escape and defeated me. But do not fear, my pet, we shall have our revenge very soon."

Maleficent extended her arms out and began to wave them in the air. An immense gray cloud began to form overhead. It expanded and began to spread over King Stefan's castle. Maleficent waved her arms again and rain began to pour out of the cloud and dampened the kingdom. Lightning began to light up the sky as the storm grew larger and more powerful.

One bolt hit the tallest tower of the castle and the tower's roof caught fire. Maleficent tapped her staff on the balcony and and just as quickly as it had come, the storm broke apart. Without the rainfall to put out the expanding fire, the blaze began to expand and engulfed the entire tower. Maleficent smirked deviously as she looked on at the fire.

"Ooh, nice," said a voice from behind her, "Impressive light show, babe."

Maleficent whirled around to see Hades standing behind her. To her surprise, her heart actually leaped in excitement upon seeing him.

"Hades!" Maleficent said excitedly but upon realizing how she had said it, quickly changed to her normal tone, "It is nice to see you again. What brings you to the Forbidden Mountains?"

"I always wanted to see Wales," Hades smirked.

"Fine," Maleficent said, "Don't tell me. But I'm still glad to see you. Come, watch the fire with me."

Hades and Maleficent stepped out onto the balcony and turned their attention back to the castle. However, to their surprise, the tower appeared perfectly unharmed with a large swarm of doves flying away from the tower.

"Those blasted good fairies!" Maleficent cursed, "They're always interfering in my schemes!"

"Maybe I can work a little magic for ya, babe." Hades said smirking.

"You've already done what was required of you for me," Maleficent replied.

"Hey, c'mon, It's the least I can do for a good friend," Hades smiled an oddly sincere smile.

"Very well, Hades," Maleficent said, her mood lifting, "We shall go to Stefan's castle."

At Stefan's audience chamber, everyone in the castle was celebrating the service that the fairies had done for the castle. However, the service was quickly interrupted by a green flurry of flames and and plume of smoke emerging in the center of the room as Hades and Maleficent took form.

"Maleficent?" Prince Phillip gasped in shock, "But I slew you!"

"There's power in your acquaintances," Maleficent said, gesturing.

"Oh, stop, Mal," Hades said jokingly, "You're embarrassing me."

Maleficent turned to Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

"Now," she started, "It would seem that you three have foiled my latest revenge plot. You do realize, that this cannot go unpunished. Hades, if you will please do the honors."

"Gladly!" Hades exclaimed as he walked closer to the good fairies.

"WAIT!"

Maleficent and Hades both turned around to see two twin boys in green tunics standing behind them. The first one spoke up.

"Madame Ursula is ready for your end of the bargain."

"She needs you both on a little island off the coast of Italy by midnight," the second one chimed in.

The two joined hands and a purple portal appeared in their place. Maleficent glanced at the large clock tower through the window. It was eleven fifty eight. Both of the boys voices spoke up even though neither one was there.

"The portal is already set for your destination."

Maleficent growled and whirled around, "This isn't over you fools!"

The two figures then stepped through the purple portal which promptly disappeared as they walked through it.


	6. Cleaning the Slate

Maleficent's black cloak fluttered in the wind coming from the ocean. She wasn't too fond of this island, and, truthfully, even she was a little uneasy about these strange shores. Hades stood next to her. The two were right in the middle of an attack on King Stefan's castle when Flotsam and Jetsam had called them up for this meeting. They still had a debt to pay Ursula for her magic contract even though, in retrospect, the two villains knew that they didn't need it.

Hades glanced down at his watch that he had crafted himself by shrinking a clock and attaching it to a leather band. Hades figured that mortals had to be stupid not to be able to create such a handy yet basic invention. It was twelve thirty. Ursula was late for their midnight appointment. He knew Maleficent was probably furious right about now. Just then, Hades saw a sea chariot zooming up to the shore, being pulled by two particularly nasty looking sharks. Ursula hopped out of the chariot and onto the shore.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Ursula said in a not-at-all apologetic tone, "Traffic on this side of the Mediterranean was murder!"

Maleficent sneered, "Let's just get on with this. Why are we meeting on this island instead of at Cabana Cephalopoda?"

Ursula waved her hand and smiled. "All will be revealed in due time."

Maleficent scoffed at this. She didn't like to be kept in the dark about anything, especially not when she was in a foul mood like she was at that moment. Hades simply didn't care. He was just ready to wrap this up so that he and Mal could proceed with their plan. Ursula slithered up the rocky beach and gestured for Hades and Maleficent to follow.

She led them up to a cliff and put her finger to her lips to tell them to be quiet. She pointed over the edge of the cliff and the two villains looked down below. A good fifty feet below them was an Italian man dressed all in red with several faceless goons loading up crates full of donkeys onto a ship.

"This is it?" Maleficent asked, "A donkey trade?"

"Shh!" Ursula said to Maleficent, "Be quiet and listen to this."

Hades and Maleficent both skeptically listened up. The red coated man leaned down to one of the donkeys and he... talked to it. And, to Hades and Maleficent's surprise, the donkey actually talked back. Hades and Maleficent exchanged surprised looks. The red coated man tossed the donkey into a pin full of other donkeys and shouted, "THIS ONE CAN STILL GO!"

After that, all of the donkeys started to protest to the man in perfect English. The red coated man cracked his whip and shouted.

"YOU BOYS HAVE HAD YOUR FUN, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO PAY FOR IT!"

"Boys?" Hades asked startled.

"Ursula, what is this place?" Maleficent inquired.

"A place called Pleasure Island," Ursula answered with a smirk.

"And what is our purpose on this island?" Maleficent asked.

"That man down there," Ursula said pointing at the large Italian man, "Has an object that I need. He possesses a stone that can transform any living creature into another living creature."

"And you want us to steal it for you?" Hades asked.

"Precisely," Ursula chuckled.

Hades and Maleficent scoffed and began to walk down the rock formation to where the donkey trade was transpiring.

"She thinks we're fools," Maleficent said.

"Excuse me?" Hades said, turning to Maleficent.

"She's going to use us and then use the stone to do away with us," Maleficent said, her calm demeanor still not broken.

"You think so?" Hades asked.

"Of course," Maleficent replied, "We're two loose canons to her."

"Really?" Hades asked, "So... uh... what should we do?"

"Get the drop on her before she gets the drop on us."


	7. Dreams of Power, Fears of Betrayal

Hades and Maleficent snuck to the docks where the men were working. Hades gave a wordless signal to Maleficent. The sorceress nodded and ran off into the shadows. Hades then snapped his fingers and the boat being loaded with donkeys caught fire. All of the men panicked and began taking buckets of water from the ocean and dumping them on the fire that just didn't seem to be loosing strength.

The Coachman was buisy shouting orders at the men when suddenly a seagull swooped down and snatched the Coachman's hat right off of his head. The man whirled around to see the white bird perched on a stack of crates with his hat in its mouth.

"Damn bird!" the Coachman shouted, "Give me back my hat!"

The Coachman ran to catch the seagull and reclaim his hat but the bird took flight before he could catch it and flew up onto a cliff. The Coachman looked infuriated.

"Make a fool out of me, will ya?" the Coachman yelled at the bird, "Well I'm comin' after ya!"

The Coachman patted the magic stone in his pocket and smiled. The bird wouldn't know what hit it! The Coachman then began to run up the rocky path to the cliff where the seagull had perched. With the Coachman now out of sight, Hades stepped into view.

"Hey boys!" Hades shouted to the Coachman's henchman. They whirled around to see who had called out to them, "Can anybody give me directions to civilization?"

"GET HIM!" one of the minions shouted.

The shadowy men then charged at Hades. Hades shook his head.

"Guess we have to do this the hard way," Hades said smirking.

The Coachman reached the cliff where the seagull had perched. He struggled to regain his balance at this height and looked down below him. His men were being pummeled by a man with flaming hair and his boat off the island had practically been burnt to a crisp. He cursed. He would deal with this fire man right after he taught the pesky bird a lesson. He turned to face the bird to find it staring at him. The Coachman reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone.

"Finally!" the seagull shouted.

The mere concept of a bird talking caused the Coachman to stumble and fall back onto the rock. In the process, he dropped the stone. The Coachman came back to his senses just in time to see his precious stone rolling off the side of the cliff. The seagull quickly dropped the Coachman's hat and swooped down to catch the stone. The Coachman cursed and began trying to climb down after the bird, but, with one wrong step, the Coachman tumbled down on to the sharp rocks below.

The seagull landed next to Hades with the stone in its mouth. The bird then turned into a mass of blackness and took the form of Maleficent. She took the stone out of her mouth and held it up in her hand in triumph.

"This is it?" Hades asked skeptically.

"Brava!" shouted a voice from the water.

Hades and Maleficent turned around to see Ursula crawling up onto shore.

"Good show guys," Ursula added, "Now hand over the stone and the deal is set and closed."

"And that's just the problem, isn't it?" Maleficent replied with a scowl.

"What do you mean?" Ursula asked perplexed.

"This!" Maleficent shouted. The stone then began to glow and Ursula's shape shrunk down and took the form of a small tortoise.

"Well that was one mother of a laser show," Hades added with a chuckle.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Maleficent replied with a cackle.

The stone shined again and all of the donkeys on shore began to morph into muscular men in armor.

"Okay wow," Hades responded, "Just. Wow! What's the purpose of this again?"

"My attack on King Steffan," Maleficent responded, "It was rash and born out of a desire for revenge. I didn't think clearly about it. But now, I see, that the two of us have destinies that are intertwined."

"Still not following ya, babe," Hades admitted sheepishly.

"Don't you see?" Maleficent said, obviously seeing something that Hades wasn't, "We shall have our revenge on the ones who wronged us. But our revenge will not simply be death for our enemies. It will be humilation when they see that their efforts are futile against us. Hades, together we can conquer the world! And then, both of our enemies will look on, knowing that they failed to stop our domination and the Hell on earth we shall bring. That will be our ultimate revenge!"

"Love the enthusiasm, babe," Hades responded, "But Zeus is more than likely going to swoop in at the last minute and save the day."

"Which is exactly why Olympus shall be our first target," Maleficent replied with a smirk.

"Hate to burst your bubble," Hades responded, "But these little soldiers aren't be gonna any match for any Olympian."

"Then we'll expanded our armies!" Maleficent said shrugging off Hades's concerns, "We'll create an army of all the forces of darkness in Europe and then we shall strike."

"But neither of us have any military expertise," Hades added, "We're gonna need a general with lots of war time experiance commanding vast armies of darkness and if we can find one person who meets those qualifications, then my name is Earl!"

"I know just the man," Maleficent responded with a smile.

Hades moaned upon realizing that Maleficent wasn't going to be dissuaded from this plan of hers. But, what the Hell, it would be an interesting ride no matter which road it took, and besides, if Mal's little plan failed, Hades could talk his way out of any punishment from Zeus.

"So who is this guy of yours?"


	8. Like a Hell Broth, Boil and Bubble

Harley Davidson, Hades's loyal dragon steed, pulled Hades's despicable chariot through the sky. The fog was thick but Harley was a dragon and, as such, possessed many unique abilities including an uncanny sense of sight. Hades was at the reigns of the chariot with Maleficent next to him, holding onto his masculine form tightly. Normally Hades would have felt awkward about this, but, for some strange reason, the feeling of Maleficent holding tightly onto him gave him a comfortable feeling of warmth.

Hades wasn't sure where this feeling had come from. He'd never really thought of Mal as more than an ally. Sure, they had shared that one kiss, but that was more of something that just happened in the heat of the moment. It didn't really mean anything, did it? Hades decided to shake these thoughts from his head by striking up conversation.

"I still don't see why we had to take my chariot out in this fog," Hades said to Maleficent, "I can barely see two feet in front of me. Besides, couldn't we have just transported ourselves there like we usually do?"

"Oh, stop complaining," Maleficent said in a surprisingly light hearted tone, "A little bit of fresh air is good for your health. Besides, this isn't any ordinary fog."

"I'll say!" Hades interrupted, "It's as thick as pea soup!"

"That's not what I meant," Maleficent responded, "I mean it's a magical fog specifically designed to keep magical beings from teleporting in."

"Hmph," Hades scoffed, "Your military guy sure is a security freak."

"Oh no, no," Maleficent added on, "We aren't going to see him!"

"We're not?" Hades responded, not entirely sure what Mal was up to.

"No," Maleficent replied, "We're going to see the Weird Sisters."

"The Weird Sisters?" Hades asked, "Who the heck are they?"

"They're..." Maleficent began, trying to think of a good explanation, "Well, you'll just see when we get there."

Hades scoffed and continued to drive the chariot through the skies.

"We're here!" Maleficent said, "Take us down!"

"How can you tell?" Hades asked skeptically.

"Just take us down!" Maleficent sighed.

Hades did as he was told and took the chariot down to the ground. The air around them smelled like the bottom of a dumpster and the ground below them was cold and wet.

"What on earth is that awful smell?" Hades asked out loud.

"It's just a peat bog," Maleficent replied, "They're all over Northern Europe and the Isles of Britain. Oh but wait, I keep forgetting that you're a Mediterranean boy."

Maleficent chuckled lightly and began to walk forward. Hades scowled and followed after her. As they walked forward, the fog began to clear up slightly and the forms of three old hags stirring a large cauldron began to materialize.

"Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. Fire burn and Cauldron bubble," the Weird sisters chanted in unison.

"Hello, girls," Maleficent said to the hags.

They all looked up.

"Maleficent!" the first spoke up, "You're looking quite healthy."

"Indeed," the second one added, "And you've brought a friend along with you."

"We've already begun work on the spell you contacted us about," the third one interjected.

"Excellent!" Maleficent responded, "How much longer until it's complete?"

"Not long at all," the first witch replied back.

"We just need to cool it with a baboon's blood," the second one explained.

"Yes, then the charm is firm and good," the third witch added.

"Um, HELLO!" Hades spoke up, "Remember me? Little old Lord of the Underworld? Would someone mind explaining to me what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Hades," Maleficent replied turning around, "The Weird Sisters here are brewing up a spell to resurrect the war lord that I told you about."

"Resurrect?" Hades asked stunned, "That's MY field of expertise. You could have just asked and, bing bang boom, we'd have him right in front of us."

"Unfortunately, that wouldn't work Hades," Maleficent responded, "You see, his soul was trapped in a crucible of iron, not in the Underworld and, therefore, out of your jurisdiction."

Hades grumbled something about how he could have done it if he'd wanted to, but Maleficent didn't hear him. She was too focused on the Weird Sisters' cauldron. It began to froth and bubble furiously, and, then, black smoke began to billow out of the pot. The smoke twisted and turned and began to take the shape of a man. The form then began to grow features and turn into what Hades would describe as an odd combination of a mummy and a skeleton with antlers.

"This new body," the figure spoke as it examined itself, "It feels right! I feel so strong, so... beautiful!"

"Welcome back to your true world," Maleficent said as she walked towards the figure, "Your majesty, the Horned King, I am Maleficent, Mistress of All Evil, and the orchestrator of your resurrection."

"Well then," the Horned King responded, "I am eternally indebted to you, sorceress."

He then took Maleficent's hand and kissed it. Hades made a not-so-subtle sound of disgust in response. The Horned King scowled in his direction.

"Annoying insect," the Horned King spat.

Hades's hair flared up as he walked up to the Horned King.

"Oh really?" Hades said angrily, "Well why don't you say that to my face, you rotten old corpse."

The Weird Sisters laughed in response.

"Boys, boys," Maleficent said, trying to break up the fight, "Horned King, this is my partner, Hades. We have brought you back because we are in need of a war lord to assemble and lead an army for us."

"I am in your debt, mistress," Horned King grumbled, "I will do as you please. But, I will answer only to you, not to the fire headed fool."

Hades was about to argue again but Maleficent cut him off.

"Very well," Maleficent said before Hades got the chance to speak, "However, I can assure you that Hades is going to be more civil from now on. Isn't that right, Hades?"

Maleficent shot him a glare that could make milk curdle.

"Oh, yes, of course," Hades added reluctantly.

"There now, you see?" Maleficent asked, "Everything's resolved. Now then, We'd best be off."

Maleficent said her good-byes to the Weird Sisters and the three villains loaded up in Hades's chariot. However, this ride, Maleficent was holding onto the Horned King as she discussed her ultimate vision. It made Hades sick to his stomach to see, although he wasn't quite sure why. He took great pleasure in jerking the chariot and making Horned King stumble away from Maleficent but it was little more than a temporary consolation.

Was he actually feeling jealousy?

**AN: The Weird Sisters that I'm using are NOT the Gargoyles versions of the characters. They are based solely on the versions in Shakespeare's Macbeth.**


	9. Recruitment Policy, part 1

Hades, Maleficent, and the Horned King sat around the fairly large table in Maleficent's castle. On the table in front of them was a map of Europe.

"I still can't believe that Wales is a part of England, now," the Horned King expressed out loud.

"Aurora and Phillip's wedding united King Stefan's Wales and King Hubert's England into one nation," Maleficent explained, "Of course, it's more accurate to say that Wales was made a part of England following the wedding considering that the kingdom is still called England."

"And who the heck is this Ottoman Empire?" Hades asked, "They're spreading into Greece like wildfire. How could Zeus have let this happen?"

Maleficent rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You can both brush up on modern history later," she said, "Right now we need to plan for the army."

"Right," Hades replied, "I can go talk to Echidna, the mother of all monsters. We're on good terms with one another and an army of monsters would be a valuable asset."

"I shall go to the Marshes of Morva to bargain for the Black Cauldron," Horned King explained, "I can use it to create an army of deathless warriors to serve us."

"Pfft," Hades chuckled, "I can do that without any cauldron."

"But Zeus can remove your influence from your soldiers while he'd have to sacrifice himself into the cauldron to stop mine," Horned King sneered.

Hades groaned in defeat.

"Then I shall go to Hungary," Maleficent declared, "I'm good friends with their queen. Her nation's armies could be of some use to us."

"Add all three to the soldiers and the goons and we'll have a fairly sizable army on our hands," Horned King observed.

"Still won't be big enough to attack Olympus," Hades complained.

"Then perhaps we should try to recruit the Banshees of Ireland, the Kelpies of Scotland, and the Dark Elves of Norway?" Maleficent suggested.

"I've had ties to the Kelpies before," the Horned King proclaimed, "I should be able to convince them to join forces with us."

"Excellent," Maleficent replied, "Hades, you should recruit the Banshees. As minor death goddesses, they're more likely to respect you, the Lord of the Dead, than either of us."

"Hey, don't worry, babe," Hades replied, "I'll get those ladies on our team in no time!"

Maleficent nodded.

"Then I shall approach the dark elves," she stated, "Let us be off."

The three villains each disappeared by magic.

Hades appeared in front of an immense cave like home with a large wooden door. Hades pulled the string to ring the gong-like door bell. A cyclops came to the door and peered out.

"Hi there," Hades said, "Is your mommy home?"

"Mom!" the cyclops called out back into the house, "The Lord of the Dead is here to see you."

Echidna stomped into the doorway.

"Hades!" Echidna said happily while opening her arms for a hug, "What a surprise!"

"Echidna!" Hades said as he grew to Echidna's size and hugged his old friend, "You look great! Did you have your horns polished? But, hey, sorry to drop in like this but I've got a proposition for you."

"Really?" Echidna asked intrigued, "Well come in. Come in."

Echidna pour herself and Hades each a glass of tea.

"So talk to to me," Echidna said.

"Well," Hades began, "A new friend of mine, Maleficent, and I are planning a big takeover of the world and we could really use some help from you and your relatives."

"Hmm, it sounds interesting," Echidna replied, "But what do we get out of it?"

"Glad you asked!" Hades said happily, "You and your family get an all you can eat passes. From that point forward, anyone on earth that you want to eat is yours for the picking! No heroes to interfiere."

"Ooh, sounds scrumptious!" Echidna declared, "But what about Zeus? Won't he interfere?"

"That's why we're toppling Olympus first," Hades replied.

"Toppling Olympus?" Echidna asked, taken back, "That's a pretty tall order and I'm not as young as I used to be."

"I know, I know," Hades said, "But, hey, just think of the rewards waiting on the other side. And if any of your children are taken out during the siege, they'll just rematerialize later like all you monsters do."

"Well, when you put it that way," Echidna replied thinking about Hades's offer, "How can I really say no?"

"That's the spirit!" Hades exclaimed happily, "Give the other monsters a ring and tell them about the plan and the bring them to the Forbidden Mountains in Wales. You can't miss it."

With that, Hades vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Ha!" Hades said to himself, "Top that, Horned King!"


	10. Recruitment Policy, part 2

**AN: This is a direct continuation of the previous chapter. It may be in your best interest to read this chapter as well as the previous one together. Also, I'm sorry for the late update, I wasn't sure how I wanted to approach the Horned King's deal with the witches.**

The Horned King rode his skeletal steed through the foggy wetland and looked around for his destination. The fog covered most of the marsh, but, by watching the wind, the Horned King could identify several landmarks in a way similar to a bat's sonar abilities. After hours of searching, he finally found what he was looking for: an old shack with a roof of straw and a gate made of what looked like human bones. The Horned King dismounted and tied his horse to the boney fence. He the approached the door and knocked twice. He received no answer. He knocked twice more. Still no answer.

Finally, the Horned King tried the knob to see if it would open. It did. The skeletal man stepped through the doorway and called out to see if anyone was there. No one responded. He then proceeded to look around for the object that he was searching for: the Black Cauldron. After several minutes of searching, he came across a room a room filled with Cauldrons. Any one of them could be the pot he was searching for. He recalled that the cauldron bore the face of the terrible king, Arawn Death-Lord. While several cauldrons had symbols on them, none bore that gruesome face.

The Horned King soon began to hear voices behind him. They started out as whispers but then grew to clearly audible conversations. He whirled around to see who was talking, and, as he did, three old red haired hags appeared before him in a flash of light.

"Intruder! Thief!" the middle one that was apparently the leader called out, "You evil, nasty person!"

"And what a ghastly looking one at that," said the shortest one whose head was covered by a black hood, "No meat on him what so ever!"

"Is that all you ever think about, Orgoch? Food?" said the plump one who wore white beads around her neck.

"Ladies, forgive my intrusion," the Horned King began apologetically, "I've come to bargain for the Black Cauldron."

"It's a trick!" the one called Orgoch exclaimed, "We aren't going to let him have it, are we Orddu?"

"Don't worry," the one apparently called Orddu assured Orgoch before turning back to the Horned King, "Perhaps we can interest you in something else?"

"No," the Horned King sternly, "I have come for the Black Cauldron and the Black Cauldron alone."

"Well what are you willing to give us for it?" the plump one asked.

"Orwen, you fool! What on earth are you doing?" Orgoch asked the plump one.

"Well," Orwen replied, "If he wants the cauldron so badly we should at least hear him out. Please continue."

The Horned King sneered as he pulled a small stone from the folds of his robe.

"A rock?" Orgoch exclaimed with a cackle, "Is that the best you can do?"

The Horned King remained silent and gripped the stone harder. He looked around the room and saw a dusty spider web with a dust covered spider in the center. He then held the stone between his index finger and thumb and the spider suddenly turned into a pig. The witches gasped.

"I've got to have that stone!" Orddu exclaimed.

"What do we need it for?" Orgoch sneered, "We can do that ourselves anyways."

"It's not _what_ the stone does," Orddu explained, "It's _that _the stone does it. Don't you see? The stone has advanced magic and leaving magic with mortals is never a good idea."

"But isn't giving him the Cauldron just as bad, Orddu?" Orwen asked.

"The cauldron's power will turn on him sooner or later," Orddu replied, "And when it does, we'll end up with both: the stone and the cauldron."

Orddu then turned to the Horned King.

"Then it's agreed!" Orddu announced, "You shall have the Cauldron in exchange from the stone. We have made a bargain!"

In a flash of blue light, the Horned King was standing outside in the marsh and neither the stone nor the witches could be found. However, sitting in the muck before him was the Black Cauldron.

* * *

><p>Maleficent materialized in the palace courtyard of the Queen of Hungary in a flurry of green flames. She and the queen were old friends, having known each other when they were younger. She had always been "Miss Goody-Two-Shoes" when they were kids, but, after her husband's death, Maleficent found that Grimhilde could be almost as cruel as she was. Maleficent entered the palace and ordered the guard to wake the Queen because she had personal matters to discuss with her majesty.<p>

"I knew the rumors of your demise were false," the Queen said as she poured herself and Maleficent a cup of coffee, "It takes more than some pampered prince to keep you down."

Queen Grimhilde handed Maleficent one of the two steaming cups of coffee and sat across the table from Maleficent.

"I hope you like coffee," Grimhilde said, "I have it specially imported. It's terribly expensive but I just can't stand the flavor of tea and I need some source of caffeine to keep this job from wearing me down."

Maleficent sneered.

"I'd rather we just skip the formalities," Maleficent stated, "I'm here to propose an alliance with you to aid my forces in my newest campaigns."

Grimhilde scowled and sat down her coffee cup.

"Of course you are," the Queen asserted growing angry, "I should have known that the only reason you would have come here would be if you needed to take advantage of my help again. I swear, sometimes you're as bad as father was!"

"The past is the past," Maleficent said blankly, "Leave it be. You obsess on details far too much."

"I most certainly do not!" Grimhilde shouted back.

"Oh yes you do," Maleficent accused, "Why else would you consult that mirror or yours every day?"

The Queen's expression of anger melted into an expression of shock.

"How did you know about that?" the Queen pondered out loud.

"I've... been keeping an eye on you," Maleficent admitted, "After all, you were my best friend."

"So you do care," the Queen noted, her expression turning into a much softer one, "Of course I'll help you. After all, what are friends for?"

Maleficent smiled. She was one step closer to achieving her goal.


	11. The Course Fate Takes

Hades's chariot flew through the skies of Greece. He was en route from Echidna's den to the lair of the Banshees in Ireland, however, Hades was making one slight detour to a certain mountain in northern Greece. Hades landed his chariot next to the mouth of the cave and walked into the all too familiar cave. He entered the the main chamber of the cave where three inhuman looking witches were weaving an immense tapestry.

"Lord Hades," Atropos said.

"We knew you'd be dropping in," Lachesis continued.

"We are delighted that you have come to see us," Clotho added.

"Ah, ladies, forgive my intrusion," Hades replied, "I just came because I need to talk to you three about-"

"We know!" the Fates interrupted.

"We know everything!" Clotho replied with pride.

"You're here to ask us about Hercules," Atropos stated.

"Wow! You gals are good," Hades replied, "I almost forgot. Say what color am I-"

"Blue!" the Fates interrupted in unison.

"Nice!," Hades admired, "So babes, give me the down-low on what's been up with Jerkules for the past two thousand years. Is this brat gonna screw with my plans again?"

"Be silent and watch!" Lachesis ordered.

The Fates' shared eye began to levitate and expand into a large orb of images detailing the history of Hercules. An image of the wedding of Hercules and Megara appeared on the eye.

"After your defeat, Hercules refused godhood on Olympus to live life with Megara on earth and the two were married."

The image changed to Hercules and Megara walking along the shoreline of a beautiful river.

"After the wedding, the couple went to the river where they first met to reminisce."

A vicious blue centaur suddenly ran out from the trees towards the couple in the image.

"However, they had forgotten that the river was guarded by Nessus, the centaur."

The image detailed a battle between Hercules and Nessus.

"Hercules and Nessus fought in a brutal battle that years from now will be too violent to air on network television but Hercules ultimately won and dealt Nessus a fatal wound."

The image showed Hercules stabbing Nessus through the stomach with his sword and the centaur gushing blood.

"But Nessus would not allow himself to die in vain, for, with his last breath, he told Megara to fill a phial with his blood and that, should Hercules ever become unfaithful, drinking the blood would make Hercules love her once more."

The image detailed Megara filling a phial with blood and soon faded away as a new image of the happy couple with a baby materialized.

"Months later, the incident was forgotten and a child was born."

That image quickly faded and a new image of a middle aged Hercules and Megara materialized. Both of them appeared to be angry with each other. While they were not shouting, they maintained a cold silence.

"But, nothing good lasts forever and the two began to drift apart."

The image changed to that of Megara clutching the phial of blood in her hands.

"Megara, saddened by this, dug up the phial of blood that she had received from Nessus nearly twenty years prior."

The image changed to Megara and Hercules sitting at a table with goblets of wine in their hands.

"She put a few drops in his drink that night."

Hercules drank the wine from the goblet and immediately his expression changed to that of extreme pain.

"But Nessus had lied to her. The blood was no love potion but rather, a painful poison."

Flames began to envelope his body as Hercules was burned from the inside.

"Megara wept for what she had done as she held Hercules's lifeless corpse in her arms. She then knew what she had to do."

Megara then put Hercules's wine goblet to her own lips.

"Oi!" Hades commented, "What a way to go. Gotta give Nessus props, though. That was one fiendishly clever plot!"

"Wait!" Clotho said sternly, "There is more."

The image changed to the image of a strong young man who looked almost identical to the Hercules that Hades remembered but with Megara's hair color and her eyes.

"Hercules and Megara were both survived by their son, Telephus, who went on to become one of the last great heroes of Ancient Greece."

The image shifted from Telephus to another young man resembling Hercules and Megara and another and another and so on and so forth.

"Telephus also fathered a son and the blood line continued up until around two hundred years ago with a young Welsh war hero named Gwydion."

The image showed a strapping young man who, while sharing many of the traits that the descendents of Hercules had, possessed glistening silver hair at his young age.

"Gwydion was the war hero of Wales, some say the mightiest warrior of the era. Not surprising, considering his blood line."

The image changed to the image of deathless skeletal warriors marching horrifically with an oddly familiar figure riding on horseback in front of them.

"Soon, the forces of Arawn, the Death-Lord began to lay siege to Wales. Gwydion defended the nations the best that he could but Arawn's armies were composed of the dreaded Cauldron Born and were led by Arawn's vicious war lord, the Horned King."

Hades's hands clenched in fists of rage at the mention of the Horned King. The image showed a dark shadowy man being thrown into a stove by Gwydion.

"However, Gwydion was able to defeat Arawn and trap the wicked necromancer's soul within a crucible of molten iron. There his demonic spirit was captured in the form of a great Black Cauldron."

The image displayed an immense cauldron with a hideous face etched onto the front.

"With Arawn's soul trapped, the Cauldron Born were no longer able to continue and returned to the deceased state that they were before."

The image then displayed a battle between Gwydion and the Horned King.

"But not everything was joyous on that day. The Horned King, making his escape from Arawn's fortress, slew Gwydion and retreated back to the dark realm of Annuvin."

The image changed once again to that of a small infant, abandoned on a battlefield.

"Gwydion had but one child, and, with his father slain and mother dead from childbirth, the boy was left alone to die. Miraculously, he was found by an enchanter named Dallben who named the boy Taran and raised him as his own."

The image shifted to Taran battling the Horned King and the vicious king being sucked into the cauldron. Hades couldn't help but smile at this notion.

"Taran grew up and, true to his ancestors, defeated the Horned King. He took the princess Eilonwy as a wife."

The image showed the wedding of Taran and Eilonwy and the arrival of a plump fairy-like man wearing a crown.

"For their courage and bravery in defeating the Horned King, King Eiddileg, ruler of the Welsh fair folk, granted Taran and Eilonwy both immortality and the two survive to this day. Though the bloodline is thinned, they have enormous potential."

Hades scoffed.

"Potential to ruin my plans," Hades corrected, "But thanks for the info, babes. I really appreciate it."

Hades said his good-byes to the fates and flew off in his chariot towards Ireland.

_Taran and Eilonwy, _he thought, _Perhaps I shall pay them a little visit after my meeting..._


	12. Power in a Name

**AN: I'm not a Norse mythology expert (I'm a Greek Mythology person, personally) so please don't get angry with me if I misspell or mis-portray any Norse creatures or places.**

In a flurry of green flames, Maleficent materialized in Svartlfheim, a hidden realm in Norway where the Dark Elves reside. The realm was rocky, extremely cold, dry, and emanated a feeling of death. Needless to say, Maleficent absolutely loved the environment of this realm.

Not long after Maleficent appeared, streaks of black smoke soared through the skies overhead. Maleficent looked up with mild interest. The streaks of smoke landed in front of Maleficent and soon began to take the form of tall humanoid figures with pale white skin, jet black hair, and glowing purple eyes.

"Halt!" the center elf called out, "Who goes there?"

"It is I, Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil," the sorceress said with a smirk.

The elves' purple eyes widen with fear.

"Well," the center elf replied, "Why didn't you say so? Please come with us to the palace of Zurg Hafednir."

The elves escorted Maleficent a few miles down a stone road to what appeared to be a city carved on the side of a mountain. She walked into the city with her escorts and looked around at the various sights within. The dark elves had built up their own fully-functioning society, and, if it wasn't for their bizarre appearance and use of magic, one could mistake this dominion for a prominent mortal city. The patrol of dark elves led Maleficent to a jagged and frightening looking building in the center of the city.

"This is it, then," Maleficent asked her escort.

"Yes," he replied, "the Zurg has been informed of your presence. You may enter."

Maleficent walked up the steps and entered the building. She soon discovered that the palace was only composed of one large room. Nothing was inside the room aside from a decorated throne and a large elf sitting on it. This elf, whom Maleficent assumed to be "Zurg Hafednir", was big and muscular. He had long black hair and a black goatee. His eyes were a deeper shade of purple than his subordinates and a fire appeared to be burning in his pupils. The elven king wore purple and black armor that complimented his hair and eyes.

"Maleficent," Hafednir replied as he stood in a gesture of respect, "It is an honor to meet you."

"Likewise," Maleficent said with a slight bow, "I have come to ask for your help."

"My help?" the king asked in surprise, "What ever could be so difficult that even Maleficent herself requires aid for?"

"The toppling of Olympus," Maleficent stated blankly.

Zurg Hafednir's face turned grim.

"Topple Olympus," he repeated, "Maleficent, that task cannot be done."

"Of course it can!" Maleficent replied, "The gods were not always in power, they overthrew the titans long ago and gained control of Olympus afterward."

"Yes, but those were titans that they defeated," Hafednir replied, "They weren't the sharpest swords in the armory. We're talking about _gods _here!"

"Gods are not invincible," Maleficent pointed out, "Zagreus proved that."

"Perhaps," the elven king said, "But he was only able to be slain by hoard of titans."

"Not necessarily," Maleficent stated, "Gods can indeed be killed by anyone. It just requires quite a bit of energy to do so. Besides, we don't necessarily have to kill the gods, just imprison them. I'm building up an army to help me and I would be most pleased if you would join the army."

Zurg Hafednir stroked his goatee, becoming more and more convinced by Maleficent's argument.

"Well," the king began, "Who else is a part of this army."

Maleficent proceeded to list the armies that were serving under her in the campaign against Olympus, Zurg Hafednir becoming more and more convinced with every name listed.

"Very well then," Hafednir stated, "You shall have the support of the Zurg."

"Thank you," Maleficent said with a devilish smirk becoming evident on her face, "Come to my domain, the Forbidden Mountains, on All Saints' Day for the unification of army."

Maleficent turned and prepared to depart but stopped before she did and turned back to Zurg Hafednir.

"Your majesty," Maleficent began, "There is something I would like to know. I have heard you referred to as "Zurg Hafednir" or as "The Zurg." What I wish to know is what exactly "Zurg" means."

"There is no word in English for Zurg," Hafednir stated, "However, the word refers to one who wields immense power."

"What a beautiful word," Maleficent smiled as she disappeared in a flurry of green flames.

* * *

><p>The Olympian gods gathered together on Mount Olympus. It was time again for their monthly council meeting to review issues with the world and current events. Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite, Bacchus, Ares, Athena, Hermes, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Poseidon all sat around their conference table. However, one of the thrones was empty.<p>

"Has anyone seen Hecate today?" Zeus asked the other gods.

The gods shook their heads in response.

"Hmm," Zeus pondered while stroking his beard, "I haven't heard from her in over a week. I hope nothing bad has happened to her."

"No need to worry," Athena said, "If something happened to Hecate, the Underworld would have devolved into utter chaos like it did after Hades was knocked into the River Styx. After all, only a specially trained god can hold power over the Underworld."

"You're right, of course," Zeus said, trying to shrug off his doubts, "She's probably just swamped with work. After all, Lord of the Underworld _**IS**_ a full time gig."

The gods proceeded on with their meeting, however, none could shake the feeling that something very bad was happening.


	13. If Evil Had a Heart

**AN: Before anyone floods me with comments about my mythology with Persephone being wrong, I know. It's based off an unmade episode of the Hercules: the Animated Series. I'll explain in greater detail on my profile. Also, I apologize for not updating in a while. I was having a lot of trouble writing the Horned King's encounter with the Kelpies before I just said "screw, I'll make it exposition."**

The Horned King exited the immense cave next to Loch Ness. He had just conducted a meeting with the Scottish Kelpies and had convinced them to join Maleficent's army of evil. It wasn't too terribly difficult, all he had to do was to threaten to slay their precious Loch Ness Monsters. The Kelpies had created these beasts through dark magic to guard their underwater city. However, they still held a soft spot for the animals that the Horned King had been able to exploit.

As he exited, he made sure to keep to the shadows to avoid any unwanted attention from Urquhart Castle. The last thing that he needed was any trouble from King Hubert's English soldiers that were currently occupying the Scottish castle. Once he was able to get far enough out of the castle's range, the Horned King mounted his horse and rode off into the woods back towards the Forbidden Mountains.

* * *

><p>"Good bye, mother," Persephone said, waving to Demeter, "I'll see you in March!"<p>

"Oh, I just don't see why you still have to come here," Demeter complained, "After all, with your father doing time in the River Styx, you never even get to see him anyways. Plus that Hecate woman, if you'll pardon my language, is a real bitch!"

"Mother, you know as well as I do that the spell that daddy put me under makes it so that I have to return. If I didn't, the Earth's weather would start to get very destructive," Persephone explained.

"I know," Demeter replied, "But your father never should have been so selfish! He should have thought about something like this!"

"He just wanted to be a part of my life," Persephone snapped back, "You obviously wouldn't have let him if he hadn't done that."

"Seph," Demeter responded, "Let's not leave on bitter terms. I love you and I'll miss you. I'll make sure that none of the roses bloom before you come home."

Persephone hugged her mother.

"Thanks, mom," Persephone said, "I'll miss you."

Persephone loaded her bags in Charon's boat and hopped in herself.

"Oh, Miss Persephone, have we got a surprise for you back at the castle!" Charon said.

"Really?" Persephone asked, "Hecate actually got me something? I didn't think she cared."

"Oh no, my dear little princess," Charon replied, "Hecate's gone."

"Gone?" Persephone gasped, "But how? Why?"

"You'll see," Charon said, trying his hardest to keep from telling her.

The boat docked at Hades's palace and Charon helped Persephone carry her bags into the castle. Pain and Panic opened the door for Persephone and what she saw inside caused her to gasp and drop the bags she was carrying. There, standing before her, was her father, Hades. The two didn't say anything but ran to each other and embraced in a hug.

"You're back," Persephone said, tears welling in her eyes, "I've missed you so much, daddy."

"Hey, it's not like a bunch of slimy souls could keep me down forever," Hades joked, tears developing in his eyes as well.

"Are you back for good, now?" Persephone said as the two ended their hug.

"I am, Seph," Hades said smiling, "And once Maleficent and I finish building our armies, we'll be rulers of the world and you'll get to come visit me on Olympus instead."

Persephone's smile turned into a frown.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet, daddy?" Persephone asked angrily, "Last time you tried to take over Mount Olympus, you were thrown into the River Styx and were separated from me for almost two thousand years."

"The plan will work this time, Seph," Hades pleaded with his daughter, "You don't have to worry!"

"You said that to me last time, remember?" Persephone stated.

"I know, but-," Hades started.

"Save it," Persephone interrupted as she stormed out of the room.

"Seph! Wait!" Hades called after her.

"Sir," the Minotaur butler said as he approached Hades, "Your appointment with the Banshees is in two hours. Considering the flight time, it would be wise to depart at once."

"Quite right, Niles," Hades said to his butler, "Tell Pain and Panic to talk to Seph. Those two are closer the her than I am since I've been gone all these years."

Niles nodded and Hades flew off on his chariot to Ireland.

* * *

><p>Maleficent was sitting out on the balcony outside her room, drawing up plans for the toppling of Olympus while sipping on a glass of red wine. One of the soldiers that Maleficent created at Pleasure Island walked out on to the balcony.<p>

"My liege, Grimhilde and the Hungarian army has arrived," the soldier stated.

"Already? The assemblage was not to happen until All Saints Days. That's thirteen days away, nearly a whole fortnight," Maleficent stated, "But, oh well, send Grimhilde up."

Within twenty minutes, Grimhilde and Maleficent were sitting on the balcony, reminiscing about their pasts.

"I remember one day when my father was shouting at me how evil and ugly I was, smashing mirrors in a drunken rage," Grimhilde recollected, "And you were outside the window watching and just as he was about to hit me, his hand started to burn with green fire and he began to panic and run off to the well to put out his hand. By the time he had put out the flames, he had forgotten completely about me and just went off to bed. You were always there for me."

"Well I couldn't stand to see that horrible man treat you that way," Maleficent replied, "You were the only friend that I ever had as a child and I was always so afraid that he would end up killing you and then I truly would have been alone."

"As bad as the physical pain he inflicted was," Grimhilde stated, "It was nothing compared to the wounds his words left on my soul. They've never healed. All those years of being told how ugly I was destroyed my self confidence."

"Which is why you consult that mirror of yours every day," Maleficent deduced, "To hear your father's imprisoned soul tell you how beautiful you are."

"Yes," Grimhilde nodded, "We both carry demons from our childhoods with us."

"What do you mean?" Maleficent asked, "I carry no demons from my childhood."

"Oh come now," Grimhilde responded, "When you were younger you were ostracized by the village children because you were green and by the fair folk because you were only a halfling. And now look at you, you've practically waged war on all of England because you weren't invited to Princess Aurora's presentation."

Maleficent merely scoffed.

"But that does lead me into a request that I have of you," Grimhilde added, "I need your curse. The one that you placed on Aurora."

"The Sleeping Death?" Maleficent asked.

"Yes," Grimhilde stated, "In exchange, I shall trade you a curse from my own spell book."

"Let me guess," Maleficent said, "You want the curse so that you can kill that step daughter of yours."

"I don't know for sure yet," Grimhilde said, "She's growing more beautiful every day. I don't know if she'll surpass mine but what if she does? I can't bear to hear my father say that I'm no longer the fairest. I can't bear to fall back into those unhappy memories of him calling me a hideous hag. I need the Sleeping Death to keep that from happening."

"Well what curse are you willing to trade to me?" Maleficent inquired.

Grimhilde smirked

"The Curse of Silence."


	14. Tension Rising

The Horned King placed the Black Cauldron in the center of a circular balcony overlooking the castle gates right next to the crank used to open and close the gates. The balcony's location kept the cauldron away from the commotion of the rest of the castle but with a view of the gates so that the Horned King could keep an eye on anyone who was coming or going in the Forbidden Mountains.

From off in the distance, the Horned King could see Hades flying up on his chariot. Because of the precautionary enchantments that Maleficent had placed upon the castle, no one could teleport in or out of the Forbidden Mountains, and, as such, Hades had to fly up using his chariot. Hades arrived at the iron gates and called for someone to let him inside.

A fat, alligator like one of Maleficent's Goons hobbled over to the crank to let Hades in. The Horned King quickly leaped down from his balcony and landed directly behind the goon. The goon turned around in time to see the Horned King's glowing red eyes and the king's clawed hand knock him down to the ground below where he dissolved in a flurry of green flames.

"Now then," the Horned King said to himself as he turned around to walk back up to the cauldron, "I can get back to work peacefully."

"What are you doing?" asked a voice from behind him.

As the Horned King turned around, he found himself face to face with Queen Grimhilde.

"Your majesty," the Horned King said with a bow, "What are you doing out here? It's cold. You should be inside."

"Maleficent was feeling a bit tired and asked me to make sure that her guards were doing their duties," Grimhilde explained, "And, apparently, it's a good thing that I decided to check in on the gatekeeper first."

"Your majesty, I can explain," the Horned King said as Grimhilde walked past him and opened the iron gates, "You see, it was nothing more than a little joke on Hades. You're new around here and I fear that you don't understand our groups dynamics."

The gates opened and Hades flew his chariot in past the King and Queen.

"Maybe not," said Grimhilde as she turned back around to face the Horned King, "But I do know this: this operation is one of the most complex and risky military operations ever crafted and your childish behavior is jeopardizing it."

With that, the Queen whirled around and left the king standing furiously on the balcony.

* * *

><p>Maleficent sat at her vanity wearing only a black nightgown as she combed her short black hair that she normally kept tucked inside her horned headdress.<p>

"Knock. Knock," Hades said as he entered the room.

"Ah, Hades, so good to see you!" Maleficent proclaimed, "It's been almost a week."

"I know," Hades stated, "This whole army recruitment booga-booga has been almost as time consuming as the Odyssey."

"There's a bit of hyperbole in there, Hades," Maleficent said with a light laugh.

Hades shrugged, "Eh, maybe a bit."

"So how did the meeting with the Banshees go?" Maleficent inquired.

"Those ladies will be here within the week," Hades proudly reported.

"Excellent," Maleficent stated, "Now, I'd like to discuss military strategy with you, but I'd rather we do so in the morning as it is getting rather late and I'd like to turned in to bed early this evening."

"Of course," Hades said, "By all means. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

Hades then proceeded to exited Maleficent's chambers.

* * *

><p>Far away from the Forbidden Mountains in a castle somewhere in northern France, nine old sorceresses where sitting around a round table, sipping tea and watching the events transpire. In attendance at this meeting were three trios of witches: the Fates (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos), the Witches of Morva (Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch), and the Weird Sisters (Anstice, Euna, and Murdina).<p>

"Ooh, this is all playing out to be quite interesting," Clotho said.

"Hmph, the only thing I find interesting about this story is the fact that I haven't been served dinner yet in it," Orgoch proclaimed.

"Hush, Orgoch," Orddu stated.

"But it is rather intriguing..." Anstice piped in.

"How large..." Euna added.

"This army is becoming!" Murdina finished.

"Do you three girls always have to finish each others sentences?" Lachesis complained.

"Do you three Fates..." Euna began.

"Always have to fight over..." Murdina added.

"One eye?" Anstice finished.

Lachesis was about to reply but Orwen chimed in first.

"Can we please not squabble like a bunch of birds?" Orwen requested, "We're here to talk about them, not ourselves."

"True," Atropos agreed, "I foresee internal conflict emerging within this unholy alliance."

"Indeed so," Orddu nodded in agreement, "And you can sure as well bet that someone is going to end up with an infernal retribution for all of this. The only question is: Who?"

"Ooh! Ooh! We know!" Clotho called out, "We know everything!"

"Let's not..." Murdina started.

"Spoil the secret..." Anstice continued.

"For everyone," Euna finished.

"Come now," Orwen stated, "Let's get back to the story."

This witches turned their attention back to the image glowing on the table in front of them.


	15. A Match Not Made in Heaven

**A/N: I'm sorry for taking forever to update this fic, but I've kinda found it difficult to continue mainly because of all of the subplots going on and because this thing has been moving too slow for my taste, so, as of now, I'm kicking it into overdrive and getting this thing done (not in this chapter of course, but I am moving things forward a lot quicker).**

* * *

><p>The armies of darkness all began to pour into the Forbidden Mountains. First came Zurg Hafednir and his Dark Elves. Then came Echidna and her monstrous children followed closely by the Banshees and the Kelpies. Queen Grimhilde looked over the arriving forces with intrigue. Tomorrow would be all Saints Day and the war council would be held. Grimhilde knew that tomorrow would determine the future of the world, and she couldn't be happier for it.<p>

"Let's see," Grimhilde said to herself as she examined the army that was amassing below her, "We've got elves, ghosts, fish-men, knights, and monsters of every sort. Add those to skeletal warriors, Maleficent's goons, and the army retrieved from Pleasure Island and we've got a very nice assemblage on our hands."

"How may I be of assistance, my queen?" the Huntsman asked as he approached Grimhilde.

"Ah, Humbert, there you are," Queen Grimhilde responded, "Inform Maleficent that the last soldiers left have arrived."

"Yes, your majesty," the Huntsman said with a bow as he re-entered the castle.

* * *

><p>Hades paced outside of Maleficent's throne room, garnering up the ability to say what he felt. Seeing Maleficent again after being off recruiting for the army had brought a new wave of feelings to him. Just seeing her face had brought a joy to him that was enough to warm whatever type of soul that he had. Everything that had transpired convinced Hades that he had indeed fallen in love. Hades had only once before ever felt this way, and it had ended in heartbreak. He had promised himself that he would never allow himself to be tangled up with love again. But then, she had entered his life and changed everything. He found that he was able to feel again. She was the one person that he trusted , and he couldn't bear to be separated from her.<p>

* * *

><p>Maleficent sat upon her immense throne, pondering the recent events. The war was approaching swiftly, and the stress of it was already starting to get to her. For the past few nights, she had barely slept, often tossing and turning all night. She constantly felt as if a great weight was resting on her shoulders. But then Hades returned and everything changed. The weight like feeling was gone, and she had finally managed to sleep well. It all changed after she had seen his face. Their time spent separated showed her just how much she needed his presence and companionship. Was this what love felt like? Was this what had been strong enough to break her sleeping curse? She pushed these thoughts aside and stood up when Hades entered the room.<p>

"Hey, babe, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," Hades said as he approached Maleficent's throne.

"Yes, what is it?" Maleficent asked.

Hades opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the arrival of the Huntsman.

"Your excellencies," the Huntsman began, "Queen Grimhilde has asked me to inform you that the last of the army has arrived."

"Thank you, sir," Maleficent replied, "You are dismissed."

The Huntsman nodded and left the room.

"I'm sorry," Maleficent said, "What were you asking again, Hades?"

"It's just that...," Hades began, "You see, it's All Hallow's Eve tonight. It's a special night for the undead spirits. And I was thinking, well, y'know, it's a fitting time to say that I... uh... you remember that kiss? The one in the Underworld after you killed Hecate?"

Maleficent nodded.

"Well, um, I know it was a sort of heat of the moment thing," Hades went on, "But I just... I don't know... it just meant something to me. I... I... I love you. I know, it's totally mashuga, but I-"

"Shh," Maleficent hushed Hades with a finger to his lips, "I've felt the same feelings in my heart. I've spent a long time denying it, saying that I would not be defeated by something as insignificant as love. But, you... you have shown me that this feeling isn't insignificant. I love you too, Hades."

A warm, tranquil feeling descended over the two villains. Never before had either of them felt so content. Hades leaned forward and pressed his lips against Maleficent's. Maleficent wrapped her arms around Hades as they kissed. For a moment, everything in the world felt right to the couple.

* * *

><p>Hidden behind a ruined mass of stone in the throne room, the Horned King observed Hades and Maleficent's kiss.<p>

_So, she has chosen the oaf over me? _He thought to himself, _Well if she wishes to throw away her dignity by coupling with that fool then who am I to interfere?_

The Horned King slid out of the room quietly and returned to his cauldron. As he stood over the iron crucible, two guards approached him, holding a young, brunette woman.

"Sir," the guard spoke, "We captured this woman in the gorge. Since our orders were to apprehend anyone who stepped foot in the Forbidden Mountains, we figured it would be best if we brought her to you."

"Very good," the Horned King growled, "You may leave her in my custody."

The guards nodded and left the young woman with the skeletal warlord. The king ran a boney finger through the long, ebony hair of the woman.

"I'm sure that I can find some use for you," he hissed, his eyes falling from the girl's eyes to breasts, passing over her unique sea shell necklace.

"My lord, please," she spoke, "I am just peasant girl. I was lost and stumbled across this land by accident. Please release me."

"Appealing to my better nature will do you no favor," the king laughed, "I have no better nature. Now then, you can either submit to my will, or be thrown in the dungeon. Your choice."

"You don't have to submit to their tyranny," the woman interjected.

"What do you mean?" the Horned King questioned.

"You can lead this faction," the woman continue, "You have the power to usurp Hades and Maleficent."

"Who are you?" he growled in response.

"An old enemy of your treacherous leaders," she answered, "Where I come from, I am called Ursula. However, here, in this form, you may simply call me Vanessa. There is much that we can do for each other."

"How can you, a mere maiden, possibly stand up to a god and the princess of Hell?" the Horned King asked, "Even with all of my dark powers, I cannot defeat them."

"But I can remove their powers," Vanessa replied with a smirk, "Together we can lead the army ourselves and leave Hades and Maleficent powerless and dethroned."

The Horned King's hideous mouth curled into a smirk.

"We have a deal."


	16. Fine Print

**A/N: This chapter, I give new costumes to both Hades and Maleficent. Maleficent's outfit should be pretty easy to picture, but think of a palette swap of the Martin Gates Snow Queen design. Hades's design was really hard to describe so you might not be able to picture it as well. Basically just take Loki's outfit in the Avengers movie and give it a black and blue palette swap and you've got Hades's new clothes.**

* * *

><p>Hades awoke the next morning, laying on his stomach on purple silk bed sheets. The silk felt cool against his stomach and the sheets smelled strongly of Maleficent. Hades breathed in the smell and sighed as a feeling of contentment washed over him. Hades rolled over and gazed upon the woman lying in the bed next to him. Even laying asleep, she still maintained a regal and elegant appearance. She was truly everything that Hades had ever dreamed. Maleficent slowly began to awaken as well. At the sight of Hades she smiled.<p>

"Good morning, Hades," she said as she leaned in to kiss him.

Hades's lips met hers as they kissed. Strangely, Maleficent did not suffer from morning breath. Her lips still tasted like a cold rose, just as they did last night. Hades suddenly became consciously aware that his own breath probably reeked of sulfur, but he quickly forgot his concern as he just sank back into his enjoyment of the kiss.

"I love you, babe," Hades whispered as their lips separated.

"And I love you as well," Maleficent whispered back.

The two just gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds, both of them lost in their affections. Maleficent was the first to break the silence.

"It's All Saints Day," she stated, "We should be getting ready for the war council."

"Screw it," Hades said, "I've got other plans for the day."

Hades leaned in and kissed Maleficent's lips once again. All that he could feel in his body at that moment was love, happiness, and desire.

"No," Maleficent vocalized much to Hades's dismay, "We've been planning all of this for weeks. We have to see it through. Besides, after the meeting, we can always come back here for more fun."

Hades smiled devilishly.

"I'll hold you to that," Hades chuckled as he slid out of bed.

He slipped on his robe from yesterday that was laying in a lump on the floor, reignited his hair, and slipped out of Maleficent's bed chambers. Once Hades exited the room, Maleficent herself emerged from her bed. She walked into her washing room and used her magical powers to draw herself a bath. She slid into the immense tub and felt the hot water slosh against her ice cold skin. The heat reminded Maleficent of Hades, of his touch. It brought a feeling of relaxation to her. She leaned her head back, allowing her ebony hair to float gracefully in the water. Maleficent closed her eyes and allowed herself to be at rest. A knock came at the door to the washroom.

"Who goes there?" Maleficent asked as she raised her head from water.

"Grimhilde," the voice on the other side of the door answered, "Are you dressed?"

"No," Maleficent answered, "But it certainly is not as if you have never seen me this way before, and I wish to speak with you. Enter."

Grimhilde walked into the washroom. The Queen was wearing a simple scarlet dress today that showed off her cleavage. It looked very much like a palette swap of the dress that Aurora was wearing when Maleficent had put the princess to sleep. Grimhilde was also wearing a black cape, but, unlike her usual cape, this one did not have a hood covering her hair. Instead, the Queen's black hair was worn down and her golden crown sat on top of it.

"Good morning, Maleficent," Grimhilde said as she sat in a chair by the bathtub, "So today is the day of the war council?"

"So it is," Maleficent replied, her voice was laced with happiness.

"Well you seem quite cheery," Grimhilde noticed, "What happened?"

"It's Hades," Maleficent answered, "I'm in love with him."

"Love? You?" Grimhilde asked in surprise, "I never would have thought I'd see the day. Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil, is in love. Have you told him?"

"Yes," Maleficent nodded, "Well, he actually told me first. And last night we physically professed that love."

"I see," Grimhilde nodded, "Well, I am happy for you, Maleficent. I know how special love is, and I'm glad that my closest friend in this world has been able to experience it."

Grimhilde smiled and exited the washing room. Once she was gone, Maleficent lifted herself out of the tub and dried herself off with her magic. She proceeded to walk over to her wardrobe with a dragon motif carved into it. She opened it up and glanced over the dresses and robes within. She picked out a black dress that, while form-hugging, was considerably more modest than Grimhilde's dress. The sleeves of the dress opened at the elbows, and the fabric, from there, flowed down to her waist. Maleficent then took out a black bear skin fur cape with purple silk lining. To complete her outfit, she slipped on her iconic horned headdress. Glancing in the mirror, Maleficent smiled, quite pleased with her new outfit and her new demeanor.

* * *

><p>Hades returned to his own bed chambers after leaving Maleficent. He wanted to look his best for the war council. He flipped through the robes in his own wardrobe but couldn't find anything that would fit the definition of formal. As he looked over his robes, he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. As he turned around, he found that the object was an immense black trunk. While he had no intention of invading Maleficent's privacy by looking through a personal trunk of hers, his curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it. Inside, he found a black and navy blue leather tunic with an angular design to it. The tunic was simple but had navy blue lining on it's edges and had a very regal look to it, created by the raised collar. Folded beneath the tunic was a pair of tight black linen pants. The next article of clothing in the trunk was a heavy black leather cloak with a regal design and blue lining to match the tunic. Last in the trunk was a pair of black boots. When Hades slipped on these articles of clothing and looked in the mirror, he felt more like a god than he ever had before.<p>

"Do you like it?" Maleficent asked as she entered the room.

"Yes, I do," Hades answered, "Why do you have this?"

Maleficent laughed lightly.

"I had my tailor create it especially for you," Maleficent answered, "I was tired of seeing you in those rags that you usually wear. Now, you look the part of a god."

"You look fabulous today too, babe," Hades interjected, "The outfit is sexy, but it definitely says that you're in charge."

Hades and Maleficent's eyes locked once again. The happy feelings flooded back inside them both. Hades kissed Maleficent's lips, and she ran her hands through the flames of Hades's hair. Thanks to her magic, the fire did not burn her.

"Come along," Maleficent said, "The council meeting is about to begin."

"Lead the way," Hades requested.

Maleficent and Hades walked together to the meeting hall of the castle. The leaders of the armies were already seated at the conference table. On one side of the table sat Echidna (who had shrunken down via magic), the Kelpie leader, and Grimhilde. On the other sat Zurg Hafednir and the Banshee leader. Maleficent and Hades each took a seat at the heads on the table.

"Has anyone seen the Horned King?" Maleficent asked, noticing his absence.

Everyone simply shook their heads.

"We'll simply have to wait for him," Maleficent stated, "After all, he is the general of this army."

"Don't bother waiting," the voice of the Horned King hissed as he entered the room with Vanessa by his side.

"Who's the chick?" Hades asked, earning a glare from Maleficent.

"The woman who I now serve," the Horned King declared.

"Are you breaking away from our faction?" Maleficent questioned.

"No," he answered, "I'm taking control of it."

Maleficent and Hades both jumped to their feet in rage.

"It's true," Vanessa spoke, "After all, your powers rightfully belong to me!"

"What in the world do you think you're prattling on about?" Maleficent asked, "You have no claims to either of our powers."

"Oh no?" Vanessa replied as she pulled a glowing golden scroll from the folds of her robe, "This contract says that if any party mentioned in the deal betrays another, their powers are forfeited."

"Ursula!" Hades and Maleficent spoke in unison.

"That's right!" she nodded, "You both betrayed me back on Pleasure Island, so, by the fine print of the contract that you both signed, both of your powers are mine for the taking!"

"Come and take them, sea witch!" Hades dared.

Vanessa smirked as the contract morphed into wisps of light. The light wisps swirled over to Hades and Maleficent and circled around each of them like miniature tornadoes. Vanessa's evil cackling echoed throughout the chamber. Zurg Hafednir immediately rose to his feet, and lunged across the table towards the sea witch, intending to slit the witch's throat. However, before he got the chance, the Horned King ran him through with his sword, causing the king of the dark elves to cry out in pain as he dissolved into a cloud of darkness. None of the other war leaders moved after that. After a few seconds, the wisps of light dropped Hades and Maleficent. Hades's flaming hair was out, and he strangely could not reignite it. The wisps of light flowed back into Vanessa.

"So much POWER!" Vanessa yelled as she reverted back to her octopin form.

The other war leaders gasped, and even the Horned King was taken back by the hideous reveal of Ursula.

"God-like power was handed to you both on a silver platter," Ursula spoke as she felt the surge of power within her, "But, me, I've worked all my life to make myself more powerful. Yet, none of it could hold a candle to what you both were born with. But now, my hard work has finally paid off! Now, Ursula is the most powerful being on EARTH!"


End file.
